Darling
by Astudyinkhan
Summary: (Pre-pre-Across the Stars for You) Before the Enterprise, before Starfleet, before Botany Bay; Abigail Soong and Khan Noonien Singh have a past just like everyone else. However upon their first meeting, they're not overly fond of each other. And they aren't quiet about it. This is the story of how Khan and Abigail decided the other...wasn't so bad.
1. I'm telling them you shot me

Abigail considered herself one of the more reasonable Augments. She never talked without purpose, never lingered where she wasn't wanted, and never argued with her "superiors". In truth she only ever began to falter when she was paired with him. Khan Noonien Singh. He was the bane of her existence and she avoided being around him as much as possible. That was much easier before the director decided to assign him as her permanent sparring partner, roommate, and partner in guard shifts. What had possessed that woman to believe that this arrangement would be a clever idea alluded and frustrated her to no end.

The thought of why Khan was so truly terrible may have crossed an outward party's mind. He was a handsome man, afterall. Capable of making any species of woman swoon. To say he was intelligent would be an understatement. And he rarely engaged with anyone unless necessary. No, the things that made him such a pest to Abigail were not generally perceived by the Augment population, which only fueled her hate fire. What set her on edge was the fact that everything he did that annoyed her was purposeful. He quite obviously took time out of his day to throw an extra smirk her way or brush up against her. He enjoyed that extra fire that burned in her eyes at the slightest quirk of his lips because his distaste for her was quite equal to hers for him.

It could be said that Khan had not particularly minded being paired with Abigail at the beginning. She was a beautiful, fierce, and talented woman who was always capable of getting what she needed, no matter the circumstances. It wasn't until after sharing a room with her for a week that he realized what a pain in the arse she was. Technically, she was better than Khan. But as far as he was concerned, that was solely in the technical detail. She was the last genetically engineered superhuman to be created at their facility, so everything that the scientists had been trying to perfect was nearly perfected. However, Khan was not interested in her perfections. He would have been...if he didn't resent her so much. He knew that she meant to make him angry by taking too long in the shower or making him say "uncle" just to get out from beneath her pin in training. Every little thing she did annoyed him, so he tormented her equally.

The two continued this vehement game for months, the fights that took place in their room growing ever more heated. Their spats usually ended with physical violence, not ending until one had the other pinned to the ground. The win ratio was about 50/50, depending on who was angrier over the situation at hand. The competitive nature that burned between the two of them only increased this deadly game they played. Almost all of the paired off Augments had their altercations about little things, sharing a room was hard for anyone, but none of them hated each other like Abigail and Khan.

It had been about six months since the two of them had been paired together with training sessions almost every day. Their guard shifts were usually the days they had off from training and towards one o'clock in the morning when most were asleep. The confrontations they had were at least once a day and growing more and more frequent, but the nature of their altercations began to change to a much different kind of frustration.

Abigail smoothed a dark strand back into her braid before walking up to stand beside Khan at the front gate. He handed her back the tatang knife meant to be sheathed in one's boot.

"You left it on your nightstand," he murmured dismissively when she raised her eyebrow at him.

"Thanks," she muttered, slipping the knife into its sheath and holstering her gun at her hip.

Out of the corner of her eye she could've sworn she had seen the corner of his lips twitch up with a smirk, setting her teeth on edge. The mid October chill nipped at her exposed throat and cheeks making her zip up her warm uniform collar under her chin. Khan glanced at her sideways, eyeing the cloud that formed each time she breathed out through her nose.

"Let's get moving," he suggested, keeping his face forward as she glanced up at him. "We can check the perimeter and keep a little warmer.

Abigail's tongue darted out to wet her lips as she nodded in the affirmative. He gestured for her to take the lead as he turned to face her. With her brow furrowed, she started forward, glancing back at him as she did so. He raised an eyebrow at her, silently ushering her ahead. The pair moved quietly, their footfalls swallowed by the grass beneath them as they neared the halfway point. Something kept itching at the back of her mind, and she frequently checked behind her to find nothing there. Khan took notice, frowning at her as he did so.

"Nervous?" he asked sarcastically, keeping his eyes ahead as she cast another look behind her shoulder.

She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous suggestion, coming to a stop as the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach grew stronger. "Don't be dense," she spat, turning around to face the empty darkness behind her.

"Then what's wrong with you?" Khan sounded annoyed, and she felt him step directly behind her.

"I just…" Abigail shook her head, not turning around. "I just feel like we're being watched." A thought crossed her mind and she spun around and winked up at him, placing a hand on his chest. "Do you believe in ghosts, darling?"

He rolled his eyes, curling his hand around her thin wrist and removing her hand from his chest. She stepped away, sighing exaggeratedly and staring back into the darkness that stretched behind them. Suddenly a black silhouette darted out from the curve of the tall fence moving towards them. A sharp whizzing sound sped passed Abigail, pain flaring to life at her shoulder. The same sound came again and she ducked, feeling Khan shove her against the cement fence to keep her from getting hit a second time. He swiftly produced the tatang knife from his boot, throwing it precisely. It could plainly be seen that it hit the attacker in the forehead as he went down. He was dead before he hit the grass.

Khan's eyes were instantly on her, capturing her golden gaze with his. "Are you alright?" His voice was urgent, his face seeking confirmation before he went to check for a second attacker.

Abigail hesitated for the first time in her life. Was she alright? Physically it was only a flesh wound, and she would heal quickly. But mentally, for some reason she was rocked. Her lips couldn't form the retort she would've usually supplied and her mind was racing from the sudden closeness of him. It had never bothered her before; their fights bringing them just as close, but coupled with the way their breath mingled and the intense worry that burned in his icy eyes she couldn't seem to make her brain work. What had brought this on so suddenly? Whenever it had been necessary for him to be close to her she had resented it, but now all she could think of was getting closer. What was wrong with her? She hated this man. Shoving down the sudden urge to feel his lips against hers she felt him shake her lightly.

She blinked in confusion, feeling the blood spreading down her sleeve. "I-I'm fine." She nodded, feeling his hand squeeze her uninjured arm for confirmation.

He watched her nod again and quickly peeled away from her to check on the attacker.

Abigail mentally shook herself, pulling out her gun and covering Khan as he pulled his knife from the man's skull. She watched his body heave with a frustrated sigh as he stood.

"One of their tests," he scoffed, kicking the lifeless body at his feet for good measure.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, holstering her weapon and grabbing his arm to pull him away from the body.

He glared down at her, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to swat away her hand and yell. "To keep us on our toes," he spat, looking disgusted as he turned around to walk in the way they had originally come from.

"Aren't you going to call it in?" she asked, frustration latching onto her mind as she turned to call after him.

"Why don't you do it," he inquired coldly, spinning around and coming very close to her again, "darling?"

This time her mind did not freeze up, anger erasing the pain from her shoulder. She shoved his chest with both of her hands, stepping forward as he stepped back. "Don't test me, Khan," she hissed, wincing as he pressed his thumb against the still bleeding bullet wound.

He narrowed his eyes at her, waiting for her to back down. "Let's go get your shoulder checked out," he growled through his teeth, his cold eyes unwaveringly on hers.

"Fine," she breathed, gritting her teeth together as he pressed down on the wound more, "but I'm telling them you shot me."


	2. And I you, darling

It had been over a month since the incident during the guard shift. According to the doctor on hand in the medical wing, the axillary artery in her shoulder had been nicked by the bullet. And, despite her rapid healing abilities, she was put on bed rest for three days so as to not tear out the stitches. Abigail hated those three days, she was restless and sick of not being able to get away from Khan. He frequently teased her about being unable to go outside resulting in her popping a stitch.

By the time her three days were up she couldn't stay out of the room enough. She got back to training as soon as her stitches were out, staying in the workout room for hours. Even though the doctor had suggested it would be wise to wait for the tenderness in her shoulder to recede before resuming the usual sparring sessions, she paid no mind, tackling Khan to the ground at the first ill remark.

"Oof!"

Khan landed flat on his back on the training room floor; the air fleeing his lungs. Abigail landed on top of him, her knees pinning his arms to the padded ground. Applying pressure with her forearm, she trapped his head firmly down by his throat. He looked up at her curiously, glacier eyes locking on her fiercely gold ones. God, how he hated those arrogant eyes. His jaw clenched, bringing a smirk to her full lips.

"Come now, darling," she purred, leaning her face down to his and applying more pressure, "you can do better than that."

Khan's mouth set in an even line as he relaxed his body beneath her. As her lips formed a derisive pout at the assumed admission of defeat, he pushed her off of his arms, rolling on top of her thin form and barring her head to the ground with his arm at her throat. Anger began to fill her golden gaze as the realization of betrayal hit her. She squirmed a moment before feeling the insides of his thighs squeeze her arms to her sides. Disbelief and fury filled her chest, both at herself for letting her guard down and at Khan for taking advantage of her when the fight should've been over.

"You're right," he murmured, shadowing her movements, "_darling_."

Abigail glared up into his poised face, observing the easy triumph in his icy eyes. 'Alright, alright. You've made your point. Get off," she growled, averting her gaze as he stood with his legs straddling her hips.

A smirk curled his lips as he out stretched his hand for her to take. Ignoring the half-assed peace offering, she stood and side stepped the taller man. As Khan turned to follow her out of the nearly vacated training room, Abigail grabbed ahold of his right arm, flipping him onto his back in front of her. A grin tugged at the corners of her lips as she tiptoed around his seething form.

"I'll see you back in the room then," she called over her shoulder, leering at the lack of reply.

Abigail walked back towards the boarding portion of the institute through the herb garden. She nodded in acknowledgement at those who passed, mainly fellow Augments on their daily shifts or headed to training. It was nowhere near time for the roommates' overlapping shifts, so she weaved her way through the halls and unlocked the tall door before her. Kicking off her boots with added frustration, she ran a hand through her long, chestnut curls. Khan was so bloody arrogant. Granted they were all made to be, but he in particular got on her nerves. She rolled her eyes angrily, stripping down in preparation for a soothing shower. Marching towards the bathroom at the back of their quarters, she turned on the water and stepped into the cold spray.

What right did he have? Showing off in hand-to-hand combat. What was he? A bird of prey? Fluffing his feathers at her. He was no alpha; not compared to her. And the audacity of the director; pairing the two of them in the same room as if she had no idea of her distaste for him. Closing her eyes, she sat at the bottom of the tub and curled her knees to her chest.

Khan stared up at the ceiling, his back pressed flat against the padded training room floor. He listened to the fading footfalls of Abigail echoing down the hall and disappearing into the garden. After a deep breath he sat up, dusting himself off before following slowly in her wake.

He had nowhere to be for some time and had never attained the urge to wander like many of his fellow Augments. Without anything for his thoughts to latch onto, they drifted to her. Her frivolous flirting repeatedly got on his nerves, and he knew the only reason she did was to annoy him right back. Silently he cursed the director. If her purpose for pairing the two together was for them to fuel one another's fire, then she was spot on. The only thing the two of them did together was physically fight or argue. And with the conveniently conjoined guard schedule, they rarely had time apart. His feet carried him through the winding halls as his mind focused on the burning annoyance that carried through with thoughts of his roommate. All too quickly he found himself standing before the tall door that lead to their quarters, and sighing, he pushed it open.

Shutting off the water, Abigail stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself. She took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom, combing her fingers back through her wet hair. The door at the front of the room swung shut, jarring her from her tranquil silence and bringing her to a halt. Looking up at the disturber in question, she met Khan's bright eyes. Her questioning and rather annoyed expression flattened into an unreadable mask, and she looked away in favor of the simple wooden dresser near the foot of her bed. Riffling through the top drawer in search of a distraction and clothing, she listened to the delayed foot steps behind her followed by the cush of the duvet on top of his bed accepting his weight. Figuring he wasn't looking, and not caring much if he was, she dropped her towel and pulled on a pair of pants and a bra.

Upon twisting around to retrieve her towel from the ground, she found Khan's curious gaze on her. She straightened, narrowing her fiery eyes at him in aggravation. He took his time, finally raising his eyes to hers in an almost lazy fashion. The indifference in his face set a fire in her chest. There was nothing she wanted more than to kick his ass and leave him as she had in the training room. A familiar challenge reflected back at her in the way his jaw straightened, teasing her, seducing her into a fight. She took a deep breath in through her nose like the director had suggested she do when frustrated and turned back to the dresser, towel in hand. Pulling on a long sleeve shirt, she heard a chuckle from the bed behind her.

Abigail clamped her eyelids shut for a moment before turning on her heel and tightening her jaw. "Can I help you?" she asked, irritated. Every fiber of her genetically modified being told her to simply rip his head off, but instead she folded her arms over her chest.

"Oh, no. Don't mind me." He held his hands up in mock submission, his face passive. "I'm just observing."

Changing tactics, she raised her eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips. "Enjoying the view I see," she commented, walking to the edge of the bed. "Would you rather I left my keks off then, darling?" Her lips curled into a smug grin as she scrutinized him thoughtfully.

Khan wasn't an unattractive man, that much he knew. His superior genes had done them all great justice, making them aesthetically pleasing to most species. He was lean with long, muscular arms and a smooth neck. His piercing blue eyes were set into a handsome face equipped with a long, straight nose and perfect cupid's bow lips. The planes of his profile were implemented with cheekbones so sharp one could cut their hand slapping his face. Thick, dark hair he kept pushed back out of his eyes now crept down his forehead to tease his brow. It wasn't just frustration with his attitude that itched at her mind.

"Oh, the decision is entirely up to you," he assured her.

Abigail's tongue darted out to wet her lips before she shifted her weight to the opposite leg. "So it wouldn't bother you if I chose to keep them off then?"

"Not in the slightest," Khan replied, rolling his eyes dismissively.

Irritation crawled into her mind, urging her to make him back down, to make him admit defeat. His expression didn't waver as she knelt down on the bed, straddling his lap. An almost annoyed question burned behind his eyes as she placed a hand in the center of his chest and slowly pushed him back into a laying position on the bed. He let her; his curiosity getting the better of him. Sweeping her damp curtain of hair to the side, she leaned her face down to Khan's, hovering over him. Her position greatly mirrored that of only a short while before in the training room, and her intentions were no different. Her right arm supported her weight as her left hand cupped his cheek. She lightly brushed her thumb along the ridge of his cheekbone.

"Are you still not bothered?" Abigail murmured, her eyes flicking to his mouth as his tongue flicked out to wet his lips. It was a dangerous game she was playing; warning bells began to ring as she processed the possible outcomes of the situation she had put the two of them into.

Khan's brow furrowed incredulously, examining the conflicting emotions that flashed through her undecided eyes. "No," he deadpanned, waiting for her reaction.

She was now so close to Khan that when he spoke their lips brushed against the other's. This was not ignored by either party; both pairs of eyes flicking down at the other's lips in unison then back up. A long still moment passed. Their breathing was shallow, in conjunction as they stared at each other. Every bit of annoyance and bitterness that they held for one another floated to the surface, displayed plainly on their faces. Abigail's teeth clenched together for a moment, making her jaw ache with the force. The stillness vanished as her lips crashed against his. Every ounce of emotion she poured into the kiss, feeling his mouth immediately respond in the same angry manner. Abandoning her attempt to keep herself distanced from him, she brought her right hand to cup the other side of his face, keeping him close.

More frustration bubbled to the surface as she thought more and more about the things he did that annoyed her to no end. The way he would chuckle for whatever reason at her when she was absorbed in something that didn't involve him. The way his eyes mocked her in training. How he made everything the two of them did together a challenge. The shameless arrogance that was palpable around him every second of every day.

She momentarily broke away from the kiss, keeping her eyes closed and letting her head fall back as he worked his way down her throat. "I hate you," she muttered, her fingers running up through the hair at the back of his head.

"Shut up," he growled, grazing his teeth beneath her jaw.

A wave of electricity flooded her veins as Khan rolled on top of her, devouring every inch of her long neck. His cool hands slid beneath her shirt, tracing the easy curve of her back with his wintry fingertips. The sudden chill against her shower-warmed skin caused her back to arch, pressing her smooth stomach and hips to his. A primal growl rumbled in his chest, and he quickly pulled Abigail's shirt over her head, tossing it away. Her hands slid down his sculpted back; fingers curling and bunching up the fabric of his own shirt to tug over his head.

A smirk pulled at his lips as he stared down at her vulnerable position beneath him. Yes, she could easily slip away from him, but she wouldn't. She was under his control and that was exactly how he liked it. Suddenly Abigail realized he had regained dominance of the situation, frustration bubbling up within her at the aura of arrogance that rippled around his perfectly molded body. Her arms coiled around his neck, bringing him back down in a defiant kiss. She could feel the taunting grin of success on his lips as he kissed her back hungrily. Transferring her weight strategically, she suddenly shifted and rolled gracefully on top of Khan. The smirk was quickly replaced with a frustrated deadpan expression as she kissed down his heated throat.

A strained groan sounded from him as her teeth nipped and grazed across his flesh while her hands worked their way far ahead of her ravenous mouth. Her nimble fingers easily undid the clasp of his trousers, tossing them away as quickly as she could get them off. Khan was eager to get back in control of the situation no matter how good Abigail felt on top of him. But before he could move her underneath him once more, he gasped in pleasure. His head fell back against the bed, all composure out the window as she slid her tongue along his length which had been let loose from the constraints of his pants. Triumph filled her stomach as she experimented slowly, first licking the tip then proceeding to slide it between her lips. His breathing became ragged as she began bobbing her head and maintaining a firm grasp of the base.

Propping himself up onto his elbows, Khan watched with hooded eyes as Abigail massaged what was not enveloped in her warm mouth. The pleasure began to build greater, trapping the moans in his throat. Afraid of losing himself completely so soon, he pulled her head up and glared. Smirking back, she was not surprised when Khan moved himself back in a more dominating position over her; his mouth back at her neck. Closing her eyes as he moved his lips moved over her collarbone, she felt his fingers tentatively slide her pants off. Her fingers curled in his hair, pulling his mouth back up to hers for another hungry kiss. A soft moan escaped her throat, quickly being swallowed by Khan as he slid his length between her folds and inhaled sharply with pleasure.

Abigail's frustration began to melt away as Khan's hips began to beat rhythmically, sending waves of pleasurable electricity through each of their bodies. One hand slid down his shoulder blade, the other gripping the back of his neck as the rhythm increased. Their lips parted, both watching where they connected. Letting her head fall back against the bed, she moaned louder, feeling his hand slip between the two of them to gently rub her clit. Her hips arched as she felt the edge of ecstasy quickly approaching.

"Oh, Khan," she groaned, eyes closed as he looked into her face.

"Come for me," he ground out in a low voice, the sound of his name soaked in pleasure and delivered in her voice filled his ears, bringing him ever closer.

His voice was her undoing, and she tumbled over the edge of climax. His hips rocked into her faster, ecstasy rolling through him as well. Their breathing was heavy for a moment, in unison as his hips slowly came to a stop. Slowly he pulled out of her, kissing her gently and rolling off of her.

Abigail rested her head on Khan's shoulder, laying her hand on his chest. Feeling him take a deep breath, she didn't raise her head to look at him.

"This doesn't change anything," she muttered softly, knowing he was smirking at her.

"I don't see why it would," he agreed coolly, wrapping his arm around her waist and staring up at the ceiling drowsily.

"I still hate you," she continued, her eyelids drooping considerably. This definitely was not what she had expected her day to play out as.

"And I you, _darling,_" he breathed, dozing off with his cheek against the top of her head.

"Mmm," she sighed, listening to the deep, even breaths of the man next to her as she dropped off as well.


	3. Now We're Even, Darling

As soon as the two woke up for their guard shift things went back to normal; for the most part. They got dressed mocking one another, Abigail getting so frustrated at one point that she embedded her military grade tatang knife in the wall inches from Khan's head. Their rows continued, getting just as heated as always. The mocking and teasing was relentless as well, always ending violently. However, there was a new curve to their usual fighting routine. It seemed that whenever the two were alone together, generally in their quarters but not always, their more violent rows ended in rough, angry love-making. Although, love did not seem to be in the equation. No, the relationship that surfaced between the two Augments was more of the hatred variety; the sex was simply an interesting byproduct of passionate anger and resentment mixing for too long.

Over the next month and a half that this went on, new training courses were implemented over the grounds. The director had started developing the new program after an Augment had been killed during their rounds on guard. The training course was set up as a maze, equipped with hidey holes and outlook posts for getting one's team or partner out quickly without being put under enemy fire. Two teams of two to four people were exposed to the maze, one at the entrance and one at the exit. The objective was to get to the other end of the course before the other team, disabling them if need be. Violence was encouraged, and 9mm handguns were issued along with the knives they kept with them during their shifts. The idea behind the exercise was survival of the fittest, leaving only the best and brightest of the already nearly perfect Augments in the facility.

"Birch, Khan, Abigail, Calloway! First group!"

Abigail pinched the bridge of her nose as she stepped forehead, catching the wink and smirk Khan cast her way as he stepped forward along with the tall blonde man called Calloway and the stoic, brunette man, Birch. The four made up a strong group, however, they were a bit odd looking as a whole. There was Birch, a tall man around six feet and three inches with chocolate- brown hair, tanned skin, and steely green eyes which fit perfectly with the hard muscle that made him up head to toe. To Birch's right was Khan. Six feet and an inch at the least, he was long and lean with his dark hair pushed back as per usual and icy blue eyes staring forward, a smirk still on his lips. Then Abigail, the shortest of the group, clocking in at about five feet seven inches. Her long, toned body was nothing to smirk at however; she was even more equipped than the larger men to take down a target. Her long, rich waves were swept back into a ponytail in the middle of her skull and her golden eyes burned a hole into the man to her left. To her right was Calloway. His light blonde hair was pushed back out of his handsome face to showcase a pair of kaleidoscopic hazel eyes which held a rather satisfied, arrogant character. He was roughly six feet three inches as well, muscular in every inch with a sculpted jaw and cheekbones. He nudged Abigail, glancing down at her when she turned her fiery gaze up at him. Calloway calmly pressed a finger to his lips and winked at her, gesturing slightly in the direction the other team was standing.

Aurora, Hamish, Vita, and Breccan. Worthy adversaries, but not for long. Abigail was the newest of them all, and, in turn, could take each and every one of them. Even those on her own team.

The two teams were taken to their respective ends of the course, weapons were distributed, and the starting gun would go off any minute. The Augments prepared themselves, checking ammunition, checking the blades of their knives, and talking strategy with their teammates. There was no real captain of the team, but they tended to figure out the best plan without any fuss.

As soon as the starting shot was fired, the team moved swiftly into the course. Since Abigail was the shortest and the least likely to be seen, she moved on to the first lookout post. It stood about twelve feet in the air with no cover, just a simple platform with a ladder to get one up and down. With her weapon at the ready, she stood atop the platform and quickly took in the maze before her. It had changed since the last time she had gone through. Near the center was a more wide open space with a handful of trenches, foxholes, and a ton of ten or so foot tall obstacles for ducking behind and getting cover when under fire. At the opposite side of the course on the other lookout post stood Vita, calling down to her teammates what she saw.

Raising her weapon, Abigail shot a single round and hit Vita cleanly in the left shoulder. The woman quickly retaliated after what sounded like a cry of pain. Abigail dodged the shot and subsequently dropped off the side of the platform. She landed with her knees bent and left hand braced against the grassy earth.

"Twelve meters straight, take a left and go until the third right. Another right then a small tunnel. When you get to the other end, you take another left, then another. One more right and you get to the center of the maze where there is cover to shoot from. We're meant to definitely take out as many as possible." She looked up into the eyes of her group who nodded in the affirmative.

They took off at an easy jog, Khan in the lead as they twisted through the maze. Abigail rolled her eyes at his sudden eagerness to get through. He was such a pain in the ass when the two were paired up, always showing off. When they got to the tunnel, it was a bit smaller than they had anticipated and it took them all a moment or two to squeeze themselves through all five meters of it. On the other side it only took them ten minutes to make it to the center of the course. The three of them, Khan already hidden somewhere behind an obstacle or in a fox hole, edged into the space slowly, not knowing if the other team had made it there or not. Abigail looked around, her ears perked for even the slightest sound as she slowly made her way toward one of the wall structures to crouch behind.

The sky overhead was getting dark and Abigail regretted being the last group of the day to go through the course. Suddenly footsteps sounded from behind her as she stepped behind the obstacle she had picked as her hide out. She spun around with her gun pointing at Vita's abdomen. Before the other woman could utter a word through her smirking lips, Abigail had placed two bullets in the dead center of her chest. The blonde gasped, dropping her gun as she hit the grassy ground. Abigail silently plucked the weapon from the earth and stuck it in the back of her black training trousers. Turning, she caught the glare of the setting sun just behind an illuminated black silhouette. She fired off a shot, seeing it hit the person in question in the thigh. Upon hearing a round of gunfire about fifteen meters to her left, she hurried to the, presumably, man she had just shot.

A knife whizzed past Abigail as she flung herself back, sliding behind the obstacle like a baseball player into home. She came up on her knees, gun in hand and aimed at the man in the grass.

"Son of a bitch," she growled, gritting her teeth as she realized who she'd shot.

Khan glared up at her, pain etched in his face as he kept pressure on the wound in his thigh. He squeezed his eyes shut, his usually smirking face rather pale as the overhead light grew dimmer. Abigail set her gun down, keeping her ears as alert as possible as she moved his hands away from the wound.

"In and out?" she asked, making sure he remained conscious so she could quickly get him out of the course.

"Clean through," he murmured through his teeth, his eyes still clamped shut.

Abigail quickly examined the wound, taking off her scarf to tie around his leg and keep pressure. "You're lucky I didn't get your femoral artery," she hissed, hearing the sharp intake of breath from Khan as she addressed the gash.

"It's my lucky day," he snarled, opening his eyes to glare at her.

She turned her head to catch his gaze, finished with the wound for the moment. His icy eyes stared daggers into her as she bit the inside of her cheek. Her hatred for him was there; wasn't it? Wasn't that the feeling that ate away at the inside of her stomach? It burned and curled and choked her whenever she saw him, whenever he was near her. Like now, as she leaned closely over him it was the hatred that squeezed her heart and made her want to prove she was better. Wasn't it? What other trivial emotion could it be other than hate? He was pompous, felt the need to prove her wrong at every turn, and obnoxiously handsome. This cocky bastard sought to dethrone her, and that was definitely not on her agenda.

Abigail became quickly aware of the way his heartbeat beneath the hand she had absently placed on his chest. The rhythm was strong, despite the bleeding hole in his thigh. Her golden eyes drifted down to the pulse point in his throat. It tripped ever so slightly, the pace so microscopically quicker she wasn't sure if it had even changed. She could feel him scrutinizing her face as she focused on the point in his neck. Suddenly she felt the need to be near him, closer than she already was, just laying with him as she had the first time their fights had reached a tipping point. His breathing was steady, if not slightly labored with pain as she slowly looked up into his face.

Khan narrowed his eyes at her, feeling his heart rate begin to quicken at her closeness before he took a deep breath and managed to slow it once more. She was looking at him differently than she usually did. The malice and annoyance that was usually very apparent in her features had melted away and was replaced with something else. Something very different, but still passionate. He watches as her lips parted just slightly, a half-formed question in her golden eyes. What was she thinking? What was going on in that irritatingly beautiful head of hers? What was she doing when she leaned closer to him with her hand on his chest? Granted, he wanted her closer, he always wanted her closer, but he wanted to know what she was doing. If he could just take a peek into her mind every once and a while, just to know…

Abigail's brows knitted together as she absorbed the questions that burned behind Khan's icy glare. Slowly she cupped his sharp cheek with her hand, leaning to brush her lips lightly against his. She could feel the questions being answered as his mouth responded to her gentle touch. Although it seemed to pain him, he propped himself up on his left elbow, bringing his right hand around to cup the back of her head. They sat there, the world growing fuzzy around the edges as the two sank further and further into their own little world. Their awareness of the ever so slightly damp grass beneath them faded away, replaced with the respective feeling of the other's body. The smooth, warm touch of their lips; the rich, silky texture of Abigail's hair between his long fingers; the warm, steady beat of Khan's chest against her hand…

All too quickly, the moment came to an end. Shots rang out on the other side of their cover, splintering the soft, warm world that had been constructed around the two huddled figures. Abigail sprang to her feet, pressing her back to the wall with her knife in one hand and her gun in the other. She whipped the blade up to press it against the new presence's throat as they walked around the corner.

"Oh, good you found him. Glad you two aren't dead."

Sighing, she shoved the knife back in her boot and glared up at Calloway.

"Who's left? We need to get out of here; Khan got shot," she stated indifferently, handing the blonde the weapon she had taken from Vita's corpse.

"Aurora, Hamish, Vita, and Birch are dead. I got Breccan in the shoulder and my knife's in his calf, but he just started through the other end of the course. We should get moving. Who shot you?" His question was directed at Khan, who was getting up with Abigail's help.

"Abigail," Khan deadpanned, scowling in her direction.

"Whiny baby," she muttered, assisting him toward the last stage of the course and rolling her eyes.

Calloway's lips twitched up, pulling the other man's arm around his shoulders to assist in getting them out as soon as possible. He didn't know the pair too terribly well, but whenever he saw them they were bickering or fighting just like this. It was no surprise that Abigail had shot Khan, it was bound to happen some time. And according to her, he had shot her back in October when they were out on their guard shift. All the Augments fought from time to time, they were aggressive by design and close quarters didn't help, but these two were something else altogether.

"One upside to me shooting you though," Abigail began, grinning sideways at the young man as he leaned on the two of them.

Khan raised his eyebrow expectantly, limping along quickly with his Augment crutches. "Oh? What's that?" There was not a note of interest in his voice.

"Now we're even, darling."


End file.
